beaches, Champagne Bucket trips, Iceland, tours

Our first Icelandic adventure: The last day with Ivar… (part ten)

It was still beautiful and sunny when we arrived at the lovely Hotel Búðir in Búðir, Iceland on the late afternoon of September 3. I was enchanted by the hotel’s setting, alone on a lava field, at the westernmost tip of the Snaefellsnes peninsula. The landscape had changed again, as we were right on the water, having passed a few mountains with waterfalls to get to this isolated haven. Just up the hill, there was what appeared to be a charming black church. If I hadn’t been so exhausted from the day’s many activities, I think I might have wanted to walk up there for a look. Maybe I should have worked up the gumption to do it, anyway.

It turns out this hotel is pretty famous for being one of Iceland’s most beautiful places to stay. I must agree that it really is a beautiful, restful place, mainly for the gorgeous surroundings. I also found the hotel to be very restful. It’s the kind of place where one might hole up and just sleep, read books, or watch the tides come in and out as sheep graze peacefully, completely free to wander. In fact, one sheep even came around and peeked into the window by the bar area. I wish I’d been quick enough to get a photo.

Ivar said Iceland Luxury Tours once had a client who only wanted them to drive him to the little black church for three hours and then pick him up again. They were puzzled by the request, but did it. It turned out the guy was getting married there. When we arrived at the hotel, I heard Ivar ask about a wake up service. I think it was in case the northern lights appeared. September is when they start becoming visible, and the hotel is clearly in a great place to view them. I don’t think they appeared on the night we were there.

We checked into our “superior double” and made dinner reservations, then enjoyed a glass of wine in the bar, before we had a pleasant dinner in an almost empty restaurant. Well, it was almost empty until about thirty minutes into our reservation, when a large party showed up for a set dinner. I wasn’t sorry about that. The dining room was pretty quiet, especially compared to the bustling restaurant at Hotel Geysir the night before!

Below are some photos from our afternoon and evening at Hotel Búðir…

I wish I could report that we had beautiful weather the next morning. Unfortunately, it was raining again when we awoke, and the previously sunny outdoors was cold, foggy, and wet. We went down to the dining room for breakfast, then packed up for our last full day with our guide, who would be taking us back to the Saga Hotel in Reykjavik at the end of the day. I think Hotel Búðir was my favorite of the hotels where we stayed. I think I would have enjoyed an extra night there. Maybe we’ll have a chance to return.

I made it down to the lobby before Bill did. Ivar had just walked in, and when he saw me, he grabbed my bags and took them to the Land Cruiser. He asked me where my rain jacket was. I said it was in the Land Cruiser. He offered to get it for me, and I said I’d be okay… Boy did that turn out to be a crazy statement. Bill checked out of the lovely hotel, and we made our way back to our journey.

A short time later, we stopped at a huge monument for Bárður Snæfellsás. Ivar patiently told us the story about this mythical being, but to be very honest, I was focused on the sideways rain and wind that had picked up. The story of the troll can be found at the above link… as well as a nice, sunny picture. I got a rainy picture.

*The statue is very impressive, but the rain and wind were pretty brutal.*

After we visited the monument, we went to an overlook that offered more views of the stormy sea… I also got a very short video clip of the sea, but I think I’ll save it for a composite Iceland video.

I got fairly wet at that stop. Then after about twenty minutes, we went to another stop near a lighthouse, which led to a visit to Djúpalónssandur, a beach where a trawler wrecked in 1948. Remnants of the wreckage are still on the beach. However, by the time we got there, the rain and wind were such that one could lean back and be supported by the air. It was positively miserable climbing down to the beach and then back up again.

I got thoroughly soaked, and I told Bill that I didn’t want to spend another day climbing in and out of the Land Cruiser, getting wetter and crankier. I’m not sure if Ivar heard me over the howling wind, but even he seemed to realize that trying to tour these sites in that weather wasn’t going to be pleasant or educational for any of us. So we spent most of the day driving in the car, with the exception of one special impromptu stop, which I’ll get to… Below are some photos from Djúpalónssandur. I can’t deny that even when the weather sucks, it is a beautiful place.

*Wreckage is still on the beach from a trawler that crashed in 1948.*

As we drove around the peninsula, we visited small fishing villages, stopping in one for a bathroom break. At one point, I mentioned that we hadn’t yet seen a rainbow. About five minutes later, as if by magic, an incredible rainbow appeared. I got many pictures! But before we saw the rainbow, I got even more evidence of the powerful wind. In the below photos, you can see a man standing alone. It was some guy with long hair… he was standing in the wind, letting his long hair blow in the wind like a flag!

Below are some pictures of the small fishing village where we stopped before we saw our rainbow…. You can see that besides natural beauty and friendly people, Iceland also has a “cool factor”– cool in the vernacular sense, that is.

Soon we were traveling by the wild Atlantic Ocean, and I mentioned the lack of rainbows as the sun peeked from behind the clouds. Ask and ye shall receive! The rainbow stuck around for a long time– I’d say, at least a half hour. It was incredible! It almost felt like a grand finale to our tour outside of Reykjavik.

Soon we came upon a sign for a shark museum. Ivar had never been to that particular tourist attraction, but the weather was getting rougher and we could have used another potty break. So we made our way there, and soon found ourselves at the Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum learning about Greenland sharks about how people used to die from eating their meat because they were full of urea. Eventually, people learned that the meat could be safely eaten if the shark was properly prepared through fermentation.

A young woman who had an engaging manner and a very American sounding accent explained the whole story to us, and before we knew it, Bill and I were tasting the delicacy, known as Hakarl. I even got Bill on video. It starts with stormy seas, shows him gamely eating Hakarl, then ends with another small waterfall.

The most memorable part of tasting the shark meat was the slight hit of ammonia on the aftertaste. If you can get over that, it’s not too bad at all. And we lived to tell the tale!

If the weather had been better, we could have gone into the area where they ferment the shark meat, which the proprietors of the museum say they get when Greenland sharks are accidentally caught and killed. Although they used to hunt the sharks, they no longer do. Still, they had plenty of products for sale in their little gift shop. The wind was so strong, however, that we could barely open the door to leave the premises! I liked Iceland, but I think that weather would drive me batty!

Once we were finished with the shark museum, it was time to head more toward Reykjavik. We continued toward the city, stopping at a cute little restaurant called Vegamot Biludidal (crossroads). I can see by its Trip Advisor reviews that many other people enjoyed it as much as we did. I really enjoyed my barbecued chicken, while Bill had the local fish soup. I wish I could have either of those dishes today… especially if someone else prepared them. 😉

After lunch, it was pretty clear our incredible tour with Ivar was winding down. Soon, we were back in Reykjavik, and Ivar was pointing out a few more points of interest, offering advice for what to do on Thursday and Friday, our last two days before we flew home last Saturday. Here are a few more photos from the last minutes in the Land Cruiser…

By mid afternoon, we were once again in front of the Hotel Reykjavik Saga. Ivar unloaded our bags and helped us take them into the hotel. We shook hands and Bill handed him a hand written thank you note and a large wad of Icelandic bills. I don’t know how much the tip was. I hope it was enough… although Ivar did tell us ahead of time that tipping is entirely optional and discretionary in Iceland.

As Americans, it’s ingrained in us to tip… and many of us fret about how much it should be and how to present it without being tacky. Personally, I would prefer to do away with the practice and just see to it that everyone is paid fairly for the work they do. Having worked as a waitress in the United States, I know that will probably never happen in my lifetime. Too many people in the service industry prefer things the way they are. But then the whole tipping drama spills over to other countries, who don’t want to feel like they have to tip for everything. I hasten to add that I certainly don’t fault Bill for tipping Ivar, because he absolutely deserved an extra something for all he did for us. Plus, he was genuinely very knowledgable, kind, and nice to be with. I felt like he became a friend. I was sorry to say goodbye.

When we checked into the Saga Hotel, we were given the same room we had at the beginning of our trip– 237. I’m not sure if that was by luck or design. In any case, we retired to the room and I didn’t venture out again. Bill went out to get us slices of Sbarro pizza from the local market and we relaxed and watched TV. On Thursday, we would have our last day of service with Iceland Luxury Tours… a trip to the Sky Lagoon. More on that in the next post.

Champagne Bucket trips, Regent Seven Seas Cruise Lines, tours

Many critters were born free in Bornholm, Denmark…

Our final day of the cruise was in Rønne, a town in Bornholm, Denmark. We had a late excursion, which took place at 4:00 PM. To be honest, I was kind of tempted to skip the last bus tour, as I was a bit “toured out” by Thursday, June 29th. But that would have been a big mistake, because I ended up liking Bornholm the most of all the tours during our week on Regent Splendor.

I mentioned that we stopped in Rønne, but actually, our bus tour (The Best of Bornholm) didn’t really go through the town that appeared closest to the pier. Instead, we basically had a tour of the Danish island of Bornholm, which is off the southern coast of Sweden. Once again, this was a place I knew absolutely nothing about before we went on this cruise. I ended up finding it a very charming place. Several British passengers on the tour with us mentioned that it reminded them very much of Cornwall.

There were other tours offered besides the one we went on, but they were mostly fully booked by the time we signed up for the cruise, back in late April. So “The Best of Bornholm” it was, and it was a good time, even though I was tired, and even though our guide didn’t have the best “stage presence”.

I was charmed by the rustic beauty of the island, even spotting a large wild hare and several deer cavorting in nature as our guide droned on, rather haltingly. At first, I was a little annoyed by the guide, but as I listened more closely, I realized that he really did know a lot about the island. I suspect that if he was giving us the tour in Danish, he’d be a lot more engaging to listen to, because I noticed that when he spoke Danish, he sounded a lot more animated. I have empathy for that issue, since I know firsthand that it isn’t easy to speak a language that isn’t your mother tongue, especially if you aren’t practiced. I don’t know how often our guide gives tours in English, though.

The first thing the guide pointed out were the huge parts of windmills that were being built. They are destined to be installed in the Baltic Sea, where they can generated power for people on dry land. I have seen the windmills all over Europe, but was never close enough to one to appreciate their massive size. Those things are HUGE!

We visited a really cool looking round church called Osterlars, which, besides looking really handsome in the Danish countryside, also had the added benefit of a clean public toilet. 😉 The guide pointed out the metal rings installed in the wall around the church. The rings were where the locals parked their horses and buggies on Sundays. Each family had its own “parking spot”.

Next, we stopped in an adorable town called Gudhjem, which was right next to a beach. The guide said that there used to be a lot of fishing there, but the fishing had stopped, mostly because the waters were depleted by overfishing and the many seals who had descended upon the place. There weren’t any seals visible when we visited, but the guide said it was a very normal thing to see them hanging around the beaches.

We stopped at Hammershus Fortress, vast medieval castle ruins that were partially demolished around 1750 and partially restored sometime around 1900. Our visit didn’t include actually going to the ruins, which were a stout walk from the parking area, but visiting a wooden overlook that gave us good views of the ruins, as well as a flock of sheep grazing nearby. It might have been fun to go to the ruins, but that would have taken a lot of time that we didn’t have. But… I did mention to Bill that I liked Bornholm enough that I wouldn’t mind coming back for a land based visit. If we ever do that, maybe we can visit the ruins properly.

As we continued on our journey, the guide explained some interesting history about Bornholm’s role in World War II and how it was not liberated at the same time the rest of Europe was. Even though Bornholm was part of Denmark, some people did not consider it a part of NATO, because former Soviet leaders determined that there would be no foreign military activity on the island. They decreed that any NATO military troops on Bornholm would be considered an act of aggression against the Soviet Union, and that Denmark should keep troops there to prevent any NATO military action from occurring. The Soviets were especially against any US troops having a presence there. Of course, now, no one doubts that as part of Denmark, Bornholm is also part of NATO.

At around this point in the tour, it was time for us to taste smoked fish. There are many fish smoking facilities on Bornholm, but only one place still uses an open fire to smoke fish, rather than more modern facilities. So, we stopped at that smokehouse, which was also deemed a “museum”, which made it possible for them to smoke fish the old fashioned way, and we tasted their product, washed down with cold, Danish, draft beer (or soda). This was included in the tour. The young, affable guy who spoke to us about the smoked fish said that he had to get the fish from other places, as there aren’t enough fish around Bornholm anymore.

*Good stuff, if you like fish, which I do.*

After we tasted the fish (which I found delicious, though I know not everyone likes fish), we headed back toward the ship, the guide talking the entire time about other unusual and interesting towns in Bornholm. It really does look like a nice place to spend a week or so. I’m sure they get their share of tourists, but it wasn’t nearly as busy as Visby was.

*Danish fish smoker explaining the process.*

Incidentally, I read today that the current Splendor cruise, which has been doing a ten day Baltic itinerary, had to skip Visby. They had 40 MPH winds that prevented them from docking!

Now, a word about the last day of food…

For lunch, we stopped by Prime 7, which was serving lunch that day. The speciality restaurants mostly serve dinner, but sometimes, they have a short lunch service. Thursday was the day for Prime 7, and that was the only day we visited a specialty restaurant for lunch.

Our waiter was a nice fellow, who was a little more familiar with us than I’m used to on cruises. He came up to us with a big smile (good thing) and immediately addressed as a William and Jennifer. I stifled a laugh and said, “No one ever calls us that. I ended up telling him that we go by Jenny and Bill.” He hit upon one of my many personal pet peeves.

It’s not that I need to be called Mrs. I just think being called Mr. and Mrs. is polite and businesslike. I dislike the American fake familiarity trend that has everyone assuming we should all go by our first names. In our case, no one who actually knows us, ever calls us by our first names. I personally hate being called “Jennifer”, because it reminds me of being yelled at by my mother. Also, it just doesn’t suit me. If he had called me Mrs. as a matter of course, it would have given me the chance to tell him which name I preferred. Besides, it’s just more professional.

So, after we told the waiter the preferred versions of our first names, and kind of cringed at the faux pas, he brought us our lunches. Bill had pork barbecue sliders. I had a burger. It wasn’t the way I would have fixed it for myself, but it was tasty enough. Afterwards, we had dessert. The waiter brought out a carousel of mini versions of Prime 7’s desserts for us. We each ate one, but I think the idea was to try them all. As if I need more encouragement to expand my backside. 😉

After our excursion on Bornholm, we had our last dinner in the Compass Rose restaurant. I didn’t see any specials that interested me, so I wound up having a steak for dinner. No wonder my heart rate has been elevated lately. We ran into the same waiter we had at lunch, who, to his credit, remembered our names. But then he called Bill “Mr. Bill”. I asked him if he knew about the old Saturday Night Live character, “Mr. Bill”. Naturally, he didn’t. So I had to explain… People have been calling Bill “Mr. Bill” forever, not just because his name is Bill, but also because he had a “Mr. Bill” moment when he was in high school. One of his buddies literally backed over him with a Subaru Brat (car)! Oh noooooo!

Poor Mr. Bill! Always having accidents.

Anyway, here are photos of the last supper on Splendor… We were allowed to dress casually for it, because everyone was packing their luggage for disembarkation day. I had a baked potato with my steak. It tasted like it was pre-baked and chilled, then heated up. I guess I can’t blame them for that, but it kind of spoiled the magic a little.

Although I thought we might visit the Meridian Lounge one more time, it wasn’t to be. We decided to go back to the room and rest up for the next day… when it would be time to leave behind Regent Splendor for more plain lodging.

Food and wine in Switzerland, Italy, and Liechtenstein… part thirteen

Family vineyards and Montepulciano…

After we checked out of Hotel San Luca, we loaded up in Tom’s van and headed to our next destination, a beautiful family run vineyard outside of Cortona called Fabrizio Dionisio. The home is owned by a couple from Rome who work as lawyers. The beautiful young woman who took us on our tour explained that a lot of people in Rome own second homes out in the country– Tuscany, in particular. The estate where the winery is located is called “Il Castagno”, and it was originally purchased by Sergio Dionisio, Fabrizio’s father, in the early 1970s. The wines produced at this lovely winery are mostly reds made with 100% Syrah Cortona DOC grapes. The lone exception is the Rosa del Castagno, which is a rose produced with Syrah grapes. I love Syrahs, so I think this winery produced my favorite of the wines we tried… but to tell you the truth, we had so many wines, that it’s hard to keep them all straight! I should have taken notes.

I got excited during the tour, when our guide mentioned Georgia and Armenia, which are well known for using an ancient method to make wines. Wines made in the Caucasus region are often made with large earthenware vessels called Qveris (or Kvevris). I am a BIG fan of Georgian wines– and only slightly less so of Armenian wines, even though I spent two years living there. I go to Armenia for brandy, and Georgia for really nice red wines with leathery, spicy, bold flavors. Anyway, this winery in Cortona had qveris, which I thought was really interesting. Also noticeable in the winery are pieces of artwork obviously done by children. The artwork was used for the the wine labels! We got to hear the whole story about that, too. Below are some photos from our stop at Fabrizio Dionisio.

Below are some photos from the mansion’s awesome kitchen, which made me so jealous… I miss having a big kitchen, although our current kitchen is a huge improvement over the last one. This was where we tasted the wines.

After our visit to Fabrizio Dionisio, we continued on to the adorable town of Montepulciano. I love wines from Montepulciano, so this was a treat! I definitely would love to visit here again someday and go shopping. Some kind of festival was going on, which slightly complicated matters. Nevertheless, Tom knew where to park, and we had lunch at Il Pozzo, where we tasted more wines!

*Montepulciano is another town with lovely views.*

Finally, after lunch, we made our last stop on the tour, a winery called Talosa. This was located in the town, so we were able to walk there from Il Pozzo. I thought the winery was really interesting, with its “cave like” tasting room. I also remember liking the wines, but I especially like the guide’s Italian accent. She pronounced every English word with an “ah” at the end. It sounded very musical-ah. 😉 After we tasted wines, we visited the cellars. The smart ones also visited the toilets, since that winery was the end of our wine tour.

We immediately made our way back to Florence, where we were all to spend another night in Florence. The other couple stayed at Hotel Firenze Capitale; the lone traveler went to the airport to stay at a hotel there; and Bill and I booked a room at fantastic Hotel David. More on that in part fourteen.

booze tourism, tours

Food and wine in Switzerland, Italy, and Liechtenstein… part twelve

Cute Cortona!

We arrived in beautiful Cortona in the late afternoon on April 30th. I had never been to Cortona before last weekend, but I do have a couple of first cousins once removed (they are sisters) who both graduated from the University of Georgia and attended study abroad sessions in Cortona while they were in college. I remembered seeing their pictures on Facebook and reading how much they liked the town. Now that I’ve seen it for myself, I can understand why they liked it so much. Besides the obvious fun of being a twentysomething college student in Italy, Cortona is legitimately an adorable town, located at the top of a steep mountain. Bill said it reminded him of Ribeauville, France, which is one of our favorite escapes from Germany. Too bad Cortona is so far away from Germany!

Tom, our guide, booked our small group at Hotel San Luca, which is right in the thick of the town. The advantage of this hotel is that some of the rooms offer stunning views from the side of the mountain. Those who don’t have a view from their rooms can go out the front door and see the view from outside the hotel, or they can enjoy the incredible views from the breakfast room. Below are some photos from near the hotel. In the distance, you can see Lake Trasimene, which is very close to Cortona.

If I’m honest, the views are the best part of this particular lodging, although it was fine for just a night. The hotel appeared to be pretty old, and it had very tiny elevators (a theme during our Italy trip) that had what appeared to be ashtrays in them! But, over the top of the ashtrays, there was a “no smoking” sign. When you enter the hotel, you’re on the ground floor, but you take the elevator down to get to the “higher numbered floors”, which are actually under the lobby.

We were in small room that had a tiny shower. I was glad I brought an extra pillow with me, even if it does make me look like Linus. I hate trying to sleep with flat, wimpy pillows. Below are a few photos of the room. I didn’t get any pictures of the bathroom, but it was very tiny and basic. On the other hand, this room wasn’t as small as the one we had in Torrechiara, and we did have a great view! There was also a balcony.

After we checked in at the hotel, we gathered for an aperitif, and discussed whether we wanted to sit inside or outside for dinner. Everyone seemed to want to sit outside, except for me, of course. Remember, I said I don’t do the “group thing” very well. I was legitimately a little bit chilly, though. Bill went and got one of my sweaters for me. We ended up not eating outside anyway. I think I overheard the waiter say that it was too cold outside, but I also noticed that there weren’t any tables set up on the terrace. I think it would be fun to eat outside where we had dinner. The location is right by the main square. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t glad we ate indoors, simply because it was a little cool. I guess I’m just a party pooper. Every party needs one, you know. 😉 Below are some photos I took before we reached the restaurant.

We had dinner at a restaurant called Ristorante La Loggetta, where we enjoyed more lovely wines with good food. We had free choice of the menu at Ristorante La Loggetta, so I went with duck with orange sauce and candied apricots. Bill had a steak. After dinner, which included several bottles of local wines, we walked back to the hotel. Bill and I stopped for a gelato break, and got a few nighttime photos from the adorable city, which happens to be where portions of the 2003 film, Under The Tuscan Sun, was filmed. I haven’t seen the movie myself, but Tom said his sister works at the villa in Cortona where scenes were made. It’s a popular wedding and event venue.

I would have loved to have spent another night in Cortona, simply because I would have enjoyed exploring the town more and going shopping. The main drag has so many beautiful little shops with tons of art, housewares, clothing, and the like. But, now that we’ve been there to see it, maybe Bill and I can visit on our own at some point. We’ll see.

Sunday morning, we rose to some clouds in the sky, which offered a different view of Cortona and its surroundings. We had a simple breakfast in the breakfast room. It included typical Italian pastries, breads, cold cuts, eggs, sausages, juices, and coffee. I had to take more pictures from the huge windows in the room. Then I took more from the cliffside. A small flea market was going on, offering a brief chance to pick up souvenirs. Sadly, I gave Bill all my euros!

This is the gate to the villa where Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed.

Stay tuned for part thirteen.

tours

Food and wine in Switzerland, Italy, and Liechtenstein… part eleven

Continuing on to Cortona and wineries…

On Saturday morning, after breakfast, we checked out of Hotel Firenze Capitale, and met outside the hotel to load up for our night in Cortona. Before we would arrive in Cortona, we would be touring two beautiful wineries and tasting some very nice wines. Tom’s van is large enough to transport eight people. I believe he told us that another couple was supposed to come with us, but they canceled. I’m actually glad they canceled, since the number of people in the van was just about optimal. Bill and I sat in the middle row; the other couple was in the back row; and the solo traveler was in the front seat.

We didn’t know how big the van would be, so Bill and I decided to pack a small overnight bag for our night in Cortona, and for our Sunday night stay at Hotel David, in Florence. We were going to take the other bags to our car in the parking garage, but Tom told us he had plenty of room. He wasn’t joking. Once we were all loaded up, we headed out of Florence, with Tom pointing out some sights on the outskirts we might not have seen during our visit.

The first winery, located outside of Greve, was called Montecalvi. Jackie, the woman who showed us around, is the daughter of the winery’s original owner. Jackie owned the winery for some years after her father died, but she later sold the winery to an Australian businessman, who asked her to stay on and run the winery in his absence. I really enjoyed meeting Jackie. She is a very engaging speaker. But what really made visiting Montecalvi special was meeting Jackie’s adorable cocker spaniel, Millie. Millie is very friendly and is obviously well loved. More than once during our tour, she jumped on her hind legs and put her paws on Jackie, just begging to be picked up and held like a baby. It was just darling!

We enjoyed tasting three beautiful Chianti Classico red wines made at Montecalvi Winery, as Jackie explained how it was all made and the history of her father’s vision. We also learned a bit about Italian laws regarding wine productions. We tasted a vermentino followed by the three reds, one of which was a rare wine made from grapes from a single vineyard dating from 1932.

After the tasting, we had the opportunity to order wine, which Bill did while I hung out with Millie. Below are some photos from our tour of Montecalvi.

After some time at Montecalvi Winery, we moved on to our next Chianti Classico destination, Villa Le Corti, owned by the Corsini family. We had lunch at this winery after Tom took us for a tour through the vineyards, cellars, and grounds. I appreciated learning more about organic farming, as well as the different wines made at this winery, which is also a wedding and event venue. It was interesting to to compare the two wineries. Montecalvi is a lot smaller. Below are photos from this part of the tour.

Tom frequently includes wines from Villa Le Corti in his monthly wine boxes. I have always liked them, and it was great to see them at their source.

*These were very old bottles of wine that were found.*

Our next stop, after a brief stop to pick up some wines, was the lovely town of Cortona. More on that in the next post. Below are a few photos from the villa where Tom made his pickup.

booze tourism, tours

Food and wine in Switzerland, Italy, and Liechtenstein… part one

How did we end up in Italy and Switzerland again?

Yesterday, Bill and I got back from our eleven night food and wine odyssey, which mostly took place in Italy, but also included a night in Andermatt, Switzerland, and two nights in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. We also spent three nights in a castle in Torrechiara (near Parma), three nights in Florence, a night in Cortona, and another night in Florence. Our trip was busy, as it included a very intense, but brief, wine tour, as well as visits to places we’d never been, and a revisit for lunch in the coastal town of Viareggio, which I had last seen in 1997.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had initially demurred when this trip was proposed. We hadn’t been planning to go to Switzerland and Italy for our spring vacation, but had to be convinced that it would be a good idea to go there. Left to my own devices, I probably would have chosen to go somewhere else, mainly because I like variety, and we’ve been neglecting other countries because of COVID-19. We are way overdue for a trip to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Poland, for instance. We went to Switzerland and Italy in 2020, and we visited Zurich, Switzerland last summer, so it seemed too soon to be going to those places again.

I also wanted to go somewhere where COVID-19 policies were less onerous, because frankly, I’m really tired of the rules and restrictions. I know this might not be a politically correct thing to admit. Many people still think we should be wearing masks and locking down, but having been in Germany the whole time COVID has existed, I am, quite frankly, fed up with the rules. In fairness, the rules have been much stricter in Europe than they have been in the United States. And yet, in spite of the stricter rules, people have still gotten the virus.

Anyway, Tom De Vries, a Florence based member of the Facebook wine group I run, owns a business selling beautiful Tuscan wines and leading wine tours in Tuscany. We’ve purchased a few wine boxes from Tom’s business, Sommelier’s Choices. While the boxes are not inexpensive, Bill and I have genuinely enjoyed the wines he’s sent to us. One day a couple of months ago, Tom sent me a private message, asking if Bill and I would be interested in joining his tour starting April 28th.

I have to confess that my initial reaction to his query wasn’t particularly positive. At the time Tom made his pitch, there were still a bunch of people arguing about COVID-19 and what should be done about the rules. I don’t always do well in groups, because I have the kind of personality that people tend to love or hate. I like to do things at my own pace, and I can be particular about food and accommodations. I also didn’t want to be stuck in a vehicle or touring wineries wearing a face mask. I legitimately hate wearing masks, and I go out of my way to avoid situations in which I have to wear them.

If anyone is offended by that statement, keep in mind my comment that I do my best to try to avoid situations in which masks are necessary. I do wear the masks when I’m required to, but I don’t like having to do it, and would much rather not. I figure that I don’t have to like wearing masks, as long as I comply with the rules. Vacations that require face masks aren’t fun for me, and I was afraid they would be required for the wine tour, either due to local laws, or because of other participants who preferred to wear them and imposed their preferences on everybody else.

I’m happy to report that face masks weren’t an issue at all on the tour, though masks were required for a good portion of our time in Italy. I’ll get more into that further into the series, since I did make some observations about COVID prevention measures in Italy that I haven’t seen in Germany. I was also surprised that Italy did away with masks in most public places later than Germany did. I would not have expected that, since Italians seem to be more laid back about a lot of things than Germans are. In some ways, Italy’s mask rules are stricter than Germany’s are, although to be fair, Italy got hit really hard with COVID-19 when the pandemic began.

I finally changed my mind about taking the trip because it was very obvious that Bill wanted to do it. He has become quite the food and wine aficionado, and he really has enjoyed Tom’s wine boxes. Bill also BADLY needed a vacation. He had leave to burn up, and was really jonesing for a trip somewhere. Before COVID, we used to do a lot of short breaks, which gave him a chance to recharge. We have been doing less of that over the past two years. But, I have to admit, for many reasons, I actually kind of wanted Bill to drive us in our own car on the tour. Again, I’m not very good at groups… Of course, now I know that wouldn’t have been a great idea. 😉

In spite of my initial misgivings, this trip turned out to be a good one, because we went to some places I’ve been wanting to see for a long time, and we returned to a couple of places to where I’ve wanted to return. I also finally got to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which I know many of my fellow military community friends have visited. In spite of my years living abroad and extensive travel, I had not had a chance to visit Pisa before last week. It was also great to walk around Viareggio, which I had the pleasure of visiting back in 1997, at a time when I thought I might never have a chance to see Europe again. And we spent two nights in Vaduz, which we had previously visited very briefly in 2009. Since Liechtenstein is technically a country, I was happy to add it to the itinerary– even if it does bear a strong resemblance to Austria and Switzerland.

So yes, even though I had some doubts about this trip when it was initially proposed, we did have a great time. I would also highly recommend Tom De Vries as a tour guide, especially if you’re into wines. He did a great job introducing us to some wonderful small wineries and great food. Again, more on that as the series progresses. This will probably be a long series, due to the length of the trip and its many facets. We stayed in SIX different hotels. I hope some people will follow along, anyway. I know of at least a few who will. So, let’s get down to it, shall we?

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Category Archives: tours